This cooperative report of seven associations of special educators and related professionals provides guidelines for using a paraprofessional service delivery model in providing speech language services in educational settings. It identifies three levels of paraprofessionals, recommends requirements for each level, and addresses activities outside…

Qualitative methodology was used to explore communication behaviors of 13 female adolescents with language problems residing in a correctional facility. Most participants expressed feeling dumb, disliked by friends, put down in school, and having trouble understanding jokes, and problems related to understanding the vocabulary in their texts used…

This article discusses how practitioners can link assessment to action when planning communication interventions for young children with disabilities. It reviews communication components and discusses strategies for collecting information that may be especially useful in the domain of communication. Strategies for turning assessment information…

This article describes two studies that examined the concurrent and predictive validity of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS DP), a measure for identifying children less than 24 months old who are at risk for communication disorders. Findings support the use of prelinguistic predictors and the important…

A study involving teachers of eight children with severe autism found they interpreted many gestures, body movements, and facial expressions as if these were forms of communication. Observation data indicate some of the communicative forms identified by the teachers were associated with the communicative functions that they specified. (Contains…

The paper defines the population of primary school age language/learning-disabled children with communication disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders. It then discusses the language demands of traditional treatment methods, assessment and diagnostic procedures, approaches to communication intervention, and treatment modalities; and offers a…

It is proposed that the identification and description of students with communication problems requires assessments in four domains: (1) linguistic ability; (2) cognitive ability; (3) social skill; and (4) pragmatic competence. Evidence from research on individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disorders is presented. (SLD)

This case study documents the successful use of a cognitive development-based instructional protocol to teach automatic linear scanning for computer access to a young child with severe physical and communication disabilities (cerebral palsy). The instructional program is discussed in terms of cognitive/developmental theory, educational…

In the first of 2 studies, 7 subjects with severe mental retardation (ages 6-20) using augmentative communication produced untaught symbol combinations resembling those of young speaking language learners. The second study found that modeled combinations did not resemble the subjects' productions, suggesting the augmented communicators used…

A literature review identified behaviors representative of the normal stages of communication, cognition, and vocalization in children's prelinguistic period. Results were organized as a checklist for assessment of at-risk infants. The checklist is recommended for monitoring infant development, supplementing formal screenings and diagnostic tools,…

Early communication was examined for 3 children (ages 20 to 27 months) who had been tracheostomized during their first year and were still cannulated. Communication means and intentions and rate of communication were examined. Potential contributions of social, cognitive, and language skills to the onset of early words were assessed. (Author/SW)

Strategies and considerations for establishing initial communication repertoires in young children with severe disabilities are described using a case example of a four-year-old nonverbal child. Issues include: assessing unconventional forms of communication, motivating the child when being taught new communication forms, and promoting…

This article describes the communication development program of a cooperative association of 55 Illinois school districts, which provides special education services for children and adolescents with low incidence disabilities including severe communication disorders. It examines the program's philosophy, principles, and practices; its authentic…

This article reviews major social, technological, economic, and political trends in the United States and relates this larger perspective to the practices of speech language pathologists and audiologists in the schools. Implications of these trends for alternative futures are drawn. (Author/DB)

A survey of 281 mothers of young children with cognitive delays, communication disorders, physical disabilities, risk of delays, or typical development revealed widespread support for the benefits of mainstreaming and a substantial number of perceived drawbacks. Mothers' perceptions of mainstreaming were similar across family demographics, child…